“How about we go to Niagara Falls?” was not what I expected Jason to say as we pulled into the motocross track. Of course, I was thrilled! I love new adventures with my best friend. After the race got canceled, we headed towards Niagara Falls, New York. We were all surprised to learn it was only 1 hour and 15 minutes away from us! When we got there, we paid $10 to park the moto van and then walked towards the group of people clustered around a railing. At first, it was hard to see what the big deal was when we were still so far away. As we scooted to the railing, we saw what all the commotion was about. The water thundered over the edge at nearly a 90 degree angle with such speed it was scary to think what would happen if you fell in.

After our initial view, we decide to walk along the water’s edge and see some of Niagara Falls’ other attractions. We had done some research the night before after Jason first mentioned going, but we weren’t sure how much time we would have after the race. If we looked across the water, we could see Canada! From there, we decided to check out the Cave of the Winds. You got your ticket, waited in line to check out the museum, and then sat in an old time theater to watch a short video. The video, “The World Changed Here” told the story of Nikola Tesla, an immigrant who created alternative power using the waterfalls current to help light up New York.

After the video, you get a pair of sweet sandals, and ride down 175 feet into the Niagara Gorge in about 30 seconds. At the bottom, you get out, walk through the cave, and meet the guy who hands out ponchos. “Good luck” he told us. I thought that was so we didn’t slip and fall or get soaking wet but then he said, “I’ve gotten it 3 days in a row”. I wasn’t sure what it was until I saw him point at a seagull. He meant he had been pooped on for 3 days in a row. We started walking towards the staircases that lead you down towards the water and then back up towards the falls, stopping to look at several baby seagulls nestled in the rocks.

When we got to the staircases, I wished I had brought my backpack. I was nervous I would drop some of my stuff or get them wet. At the bottom staircase, we watched the Maid of the Mist trudge along. This tugboat took visitors to the spot where the falls crashed into the water below. Those people got absolutely soaked on their adventure. We made our way back towards the top staircase and the Hurricane Deck. Here, you get hit with the water from the Bridal Veil Falls. We walked back towards the elevator on the wooden decks. The decks are removed each winter to protect them from the harsh winters.

When we got back upstairs, we continued walking alongside the water to the top of Bridal Veil Falls. Along the way, we stopped to get a picture with the Nikola Tesla statue. Born in 1856, he lived to become the inventor of alternating current induction motor and died in 1943.

At the top of Bridal Veil Falls, we watched others get wet in their signature yellow ponchos and then decided to find a place to eat dinner. We considered walking down to the Observation Tower that was on bridge overlooking the water but we were getting hungry. I googled some options and we decided to hit up Hard Rock Cafe. Our meal was delicious and, of course, the tunes we enjoyed while eating were all winners. We made our way back to the van and headed towards home with ice cream in tow.